relief

Oh, George W. Bush. I have defended you for a number of things through the years. And trust me, the opportunities to do that come up more often than you'd like to know. But, please know that your "No Child Left Behind" legislation has taken a lot of the fun away from teaching. I completely understand the need for teacher accountability. When I think of my 7th grade Texas History teacher, Coach Hodgson, I get fired up. The man would literally prop his legs up on his desk and read the sports page everyday while we just sat there. Now, he would occasionally turn the VCR on and show us various movies on the Alamo. And let's not forget that month we spent watching "Lonesome Dove" and "Dirty Dancing" (was that story set in Texas????). But I digress....

While I think that teachers need a standard to ascribe to, I don't like that everything within the school year revolves around the TAKS test. I literally had nightmares this year about it. Would my kids be retained because they didn't pass? Would I get my teaching certificate revoked because of a testing 'irregularity'? Would I read the standardized directions incorrectly and mess the kids up all together? Oy! So much sleep was lost.

Well, I am happy to inform you that today I learned all but 4 of my 66 math kiddos passed the TAKS. Not too shabby. After what will go down as one of my worst years as a teacher for all sorts of reasons, I feel vindicated that the majority of my students learned enough math to satisfy the state of Texas. It was the result of hard work, early morning tutorials, and a lot of prayer.

I still hate NCLB, but I will bask in these newly acquired results for a little while longer.

Oh happy day

Today was a really strange day. When I got to school, I was greeted at the door by two teachers who were letting people in. Apparently the keyless entry wasn't working. And, the lights were all out in the school due to a tornado the previous night. The shop teacher told me that we were without power and if it wasn't up and running soon, school would be canceled. Well, a few minutes later, we got word that school had in fact been canceled and the kids were being sent home. This is truly the first time I have ever heard of something like this happening. It was like a snow day...but ten times better because we don't have to make it up!!!
So, at around 10, we go to go home. I had a lot of ideas in my head about how I wanted to spend the day, but I ended up just going to lunch at Snuffer's with my dad and then taking a nice nap. I ended the afternoon with the Kickboxing/sculpt class at the gym (aka "one hour of torture") and then met my friends Hillary and Melissa at Anamia's for a little dinner and catch up time. What a delightful day. Thank you Lord for the much needed break!

when it rains...

...it pours.
Today, I hated that this old adage is true. And tonight, I am uncertain of so many things that I thought had already fallen into place. School is honestly such a stressful place to be right now. Everyday, I feel a huge weight on my shoulders because of TAKS, parents, apathetic kids, and I just feel like I can't do anything right. My spirit is crushed and my heart is hurting. For a while now, I have toyed with the idea of leaving education. It's been six years and maybe it's time for a break. I feel like I need to leave before I become too jaded and pessimistic like so many veteran teachers I have encountered through the years. The problem is, I just don't know what else I could do. Am I teachable? Yes. I love to learn new things and am like a little sponge when it comes to the unknown. But I am not sure who is willing to teach me something new. I am not sure what transferable skills I have. I don't have a clue as where to begin.

After a meltdown today, I pleaded with the Lord to show me what I need to do next. Maybe I don't get to leave teaching for another year or two, but I need an exit strategy. I have no idea what any of this will look like, but I am trying so hard to trust in the Lord and to learn what it truly means to wait on Him.

And I am open to any career suggestions and ideas if you've got some (all two of you out there)!!!

word of the day: MORTIFYING

For the last couple of days, I've had all of these ideas about blogs I wanted to start. Maybe share a few things that the Lord has been teaching me, talk about my weekend, etc. But alas. Today I caved and signed up for Facebook. Yes, I felt the pressure to stay in touch with my oh-so-techno-savvy friends. So I filled out the information. I even asked a couple of people to be my friends. Well, whaddya know but a couple of minutes later, Paul, comes up on my Gchat to tell me that I joined Facebook. I thought to myself, "How in the world did he know". Sorry Paul, but you weren't one of the people I invited....I was getting around to you, don't worry (:
I then connected all of the dots and realized that it had said something when I signed up about my Gmail address book and importing that but I thought that if I hit "skip", it would just ignore that step. Apparently, everyone that I've ever emailed or been on an email with was sent a notification that I'm now on Facebook. I am mortified!!! I have never been one to want the attention on myself--at all. So, if you are reading this then I am sorry. It was an accident and I am not presumptious enough to think that anyone truly cares to be alerted when Stephanie Shuler signs up for something.

comical

I am sitting at home on my last day of spring break watching Oprah. I know, I know....I don't really care for her. Anyway, I am just tuning in because Billy Joel is on today and I enjoy some of his songs. He is on there with his wife who was born in 1981! What the heck? As someone who was born in '79, I am too old for Billy Joel!!!

You just have to laugh at the ridiculousness... :)

lacking inspiration

I feel this strange compulsion to write something on my little blog, however, I am not very inspired at the moment. If I had a kid, I could just snap a cute picture, give it a caption, and call it a day. Ha.
Anyway, I suppose that I could finish with a random, Spring Break '08 Wrap-Up....

Wednesday was quite uneventful. I went to Starbucks and read quite a bit of my book club book, Great Awakening by Jim Wallis. It is interesting...not sure I agree with some of it. However, it does raise important questions that I had not really thought of before regarding Christians and social justice. I will give a full review when I've finished it. The rest of the day was pretty chill and I hung out with my work friends Amber and Dawn and watched them choreograph a dance for cheerleading camp. Fun.

Thursday was another low-key day, though quite productive. My phone just decided to stop working on Wednesday night so I went up to Cingular to see what could be done. The guy told me I was eligible for an upgrade on April 8 but figured out a way to get me a new phone now. So, I have a new phone and it's pretty fun. But, I suppose I am still behind the times because everyone is moving in the PDA direction. It is just not something I am ready for. I really have this fear of technology and how everyone will one day just hide in their houses and there will be no more face-to-face contact. Ever.
After the phone, I treated myself to a pedicure. It is my personal conviction that everyone should start flip-flop season with a pedicure.
Perhaps the most proud moment of the break came yesterday afternoon when I decided to tackle a project. I assembled this:

This will go in Claire and Corrie's bathroom to hopefully give them a little more storage space. It looks harmless enough but I assure you, it was quite a job. There were all sorts of little pieces of plywood and hardwood that I had never heard of. Have you ever heard of a cam lock or a cam bolt? I hadn't. But, I took out my little electric screwdriver and went to town. It took over 2 hours but I am so proud of the finished product. There is something satisfying about being able to do some of these little jobs around the house. As a single homeowner, it is nice to know that I am capable of some things. Of course, it is nice to have my Dad just 10 minutes away (:

Matthew is coming in this weekend and I'm excited to see him. I haven't seen the kid since Christmas and that has just been too long.

Happy Easter everyone and rejoice because HE IS RISEN!!!

adventures in spring-breaking...day two

Rain.
That pretty much sums up today. I spent most of my day either getting wet, trying to come up with ways not to get wet, and then drying off when those plans failed.

Tuesday was the first day that I really let myself sleep in. It was fantastic! After I got showered and ready to go, I ran some errands up in Highland Village and then met my mom and dad at Patrizio's. It was my first time there and I really enjoyed it. It was even more wonderful because my Dad picked up the check. Thanks Les! We had a good time talking about everything from Jeremiah Wright all the way to shower curtains. All I have to say is that I am very concerned about the possibility of Barrack Obama leading our country if this is the spiritual leadership that he has been under for the past twenty years: http://youtube.com/watch?v=hZ38N8OUg3Q

Enough about politics. Let's move onto food. I have a new philosophy: if you cook it, they will come. Ever since I bought my house, I have dreamed of having people over and entertaining. Many of my friends are busy, so it is rare that we get a group together to come over. My new little roommate, Corrie, is quite the social butterfly. She is always having friends over so I told her that I would cook dinner for whoever came to the house. I whipped up some of my mom's special rice and breaded chicken. It all turned out pretty well and it was fun to cook a meal that others could enjoy. It is great to hear people laughing and having a good time in your very own home. And I am grateful to be able to sharpen my culinary and domestic skills in the hopes that I will have a household of my own one day. It's a win-win! Thank you Corrie and friends for being such gracious little guinea pigs (:

Let's hope that Wednesday is a little less wet. Yes, that would be nice.

adventures in spring-breaking...day one

Well, I have nothing to complain about because of two magical little words: SPRING BREAK!!!!
It could not have gotten here soon enough. It is a curious thing how much I can doubt my career choice but then be so grateful and sure of it this time each year. I just don't think I could ever work at a job that was year-round. But, ya never know.

I kicked off the week with a wonderful lunch with a dear high school friend. Barbara and I met our sophomore year at Calvary. We played sports together and were in a lot of the same classes, however, we weren't the closest of friends outside of school. My senior year of college, I was honored to be a bridesmaid in Barbara and Fern's wedding. It was such a blessing to be able to see how the Lord had worked in her life since our high school days. It was also quite nice to be able to walk down the aisle alongside a Tyson Beckford lookalike. (for those of you unfamiliar with Tyson, allow me to introduce you:



















Anyway, Barbara and I lost touch for a few years but reconnected a while back. What a blessing this has been. We met for lunch at the Main Street Bread Baking Company in downtown Grapevine and talked for almost four hours. It was such an uplifting and encouraging time and there is a depth to our friendship that is so rare and refreshing. For the rest of the day, I was just floating on God's goodness, thanking him for my friendships, past and present. I thanked Him for friends who long to know Jesus more and for allowing me to walk with them.

The other night, I was reading in Acts and it had a reference to Psalm 16. Verses 5-11 have been a breath of fresh air. I love the Psalms.
Psalm 16:5-11
O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup.
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
I ill bless the Lord who has given me counsel. My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.
For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will you allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

I love the Psalms.

If he could see me now

Tonight, I had one of my co-ed basketball games. Because it's guys and girls, I don't score a lot of points. But, I continue to drive and go up strong--just like my dad taught me. Tonight, I was 5 for 5 from the free throw line. That is 100%. Never in all of my years of playing basketball have I shot so well from the charity stripe. I immediately called my dad after the game and he was so proud. It's the little things, people.

p.s. could this be confirmation that I need to take the basketball coaching position at my school next year? Stay tuned....

in the words of Sheryl Crow...

...a change would do me good.

Lately, I have been feeling pretty crappy. When I wake up, I feel sluggish, as if I hadn't slept at all. I depend on coffee every morning, diet soft drinks throughout the day, and the occasional Red Bull to keep me going at work. This can't be a good thing. So, I am mixing some things up. Rather than becoming over-zealous and changing everything at once, I am starting out small.
The first change will be cutting out diet soft drinks and sugar. This will be hard, but I've done it before. I think it will be easier this time around because I'm not doing it to lose weight, but rather to just feel better and to have more energy. I've been reading a lot about the effects of both of these substances in relation to our health and the research is frightening.

So, there is my update. Of course, I might be tired because I am a bit over-extended at the moment...but I am working on that.

Until next time... (:

one year ago

One year ago, I purchased my first house. I took a day off from work and sat in an office with my awesome realtor, my dad, and a mortgage broker. I must have signed my name at least 25 times that day. My Dad took me to Starbucks afterwards and it was just one of those sweet moments where he said he was proud of me. I love that.
So far, I love home ownership. It has been so fun to have people over for game nights and parties . I love hosting home group here. And I love the roommates that I've gotten to do life with: Sarah (who is now off in Nebraska with her husband), Claire, and the latest addition, Corrie.
Owning a home is a lot of work, but it's worth it. Like I told my family when I first started looking for a house--if I'm not building a family, I can at least build some equity(:\\

new blog address

Hello faithful readers!
I thought I would let all two (maybe 3??) of you know that I am changing my blog address on Monday. I want to change it so that my name is not out there for all of creation to find.
So....my new address will be: www.crownedwithblessings.blogspot.com

Yes, it's a little cheesy...but that's what my name, Stephanie, means so there!

Change your bookmarks so you can find me. I would hate for you to miss all of the wisdom I share on this space....ha.

Free goodness

I just thought I would share a couple of fun things that I've found to be useful.


1. Stickies
When I was student teaching seven years ago, one of my mentor teachers, Mrs. Wright, told me about a program called Stickies. It is a really cool, eco-friendly alternative to post-it notes. All you do is double click on a sticky note at the bottom of a your screen and--voila--a sticky note appears on your desktop. You can 'throw' the sticky away when you're done. You can also choose the color, font, sizes, etc. It's fantastic and I love them.


Here's are some examples:














Mine are a fun pink color with a cool font.

Moving on....
2. Walgreen's Rebate Club
Another little weird/fun hobby I have is going to Walgreen's once a month and picking up a rebate catalog. They usually have 4 or 5 items that you can get for FREE after filling out the rebate information. I've been doing this since college and I promise you that I haven't had to buy toothpaste, floss, or a toothbrush in years! The rebate club takes care of it all. All you have to do is pick up a little pamphlet when you walk in, check out the offers, buy what you want, and then follow the instructions inside the pamphlet. It takes about 5 minutes to do--if that. Mail it away and you'll have a nice check that pays for everything in 6-8 weeks.
February is especially good. I am getting the following items for free:
A Venus razor
A bottle of Softsoap bodywash
2 bottles of those little 5-hour energy drinks
Maybelline lipstick/plumper stuff
Contact solution with travel kit
Garnier Conditioner

3. Baskin Robbins birthday club
Sign up here and get a free scoop on the week of your birthday. Yum!

4. Red Robin
Sign up and get a free burger on your birthday!!

There are a lot more sites like this but I'll leave you with these (:
Enjoy the freebies!

when I grow up

Today, my school had it's annual Career Day for the 8th grade students. This always precedes the Freshman orientation so that the kiddos can have a better idea of what classes they want to take in high school.
We kicked off the excitement with a keynote speaker, Jeff Crilley, who is a local news personality. He was pretty entertaining and motivating. As I sat there listening to the talk about hopes and dreams, and finding your passion, I felt as though I had missed the mark.
Growing up, I had occassionally flirted with the idea of becoming an obstetrician--how cool would it be to help bring a life into the world??? But that would not be a good job to have in conjunction with a family (and science was never my favorite thing--small detail). My aptitude test told me I was cut out to be a lawyer. Again, I deemed it too demanding. It hit me that I pretty much based my career choice on an assumption that my life would look differently at this juncture. That life would bear a striking resemblance to the one that my mom had led: Graduate college, get married, teach a year, get pregnant, take a break from teaching, have another baby, stay home some more, and then go back to teaching when the kids are both in school. In my eyes, this was the dream. And when I look at where I currently am, I feel very awake.

My life is different. That is not entirely bad. I've had the opportunity to do quite a few things that my mom never got to do in her twenties. But I am getting a place where I feel that the shelf-life of my dream is expiring and I need to find something else. The reality is that I am living a life that I didn't quite expect. And perhaps the hardest part of all of this is that it's not "okay" to struggle. Any hint of discontentment is frowned upon and met with some trite response of how this time is a "gift". Well, the truth is that it is hard at times and I think that it's okay. It is especially hard because the whole situation is out of our control. There is no degree-plan to getting the only job I've ever really wanted.

I guess I still have some growing up to do. I need to grow in my understanding that the Lord is worthy of my trust. He is still holy, even when I don't understand his ways. And just like Rita Springer says in this phenomenal song, He is sovereign even when my circumstances don't change. And while life down here may look different than from what I had planned all those years ago, the things that He has in store for my life is not a Plan B. Thank you Jesus for new mercies.

Furthering my Oprah/Anti-christ theory

I've always made flippant comments about how I think Oprah is extremely dangerous. Well, here's an article that my mom sent me.
This is an interesting read. I am not sure why the question marks are appearing everywhere but this is some scary stuff.

Here we go again...

When Bill Clinton was in office, his daughter, Chelsea, was the subject of much ridicule. Many a week she was the punchline on Saturday Night Live because let's just say that she was not the most attractive teenager on earth.
Exhibit A:
Sadly, I was not the most comely adolescent. People would take pity on me and say, "Has anyone ever told you that you looked like Chelsea Clinton?". Yes, the self-esteem would just skyrocket after those comparisons. I would try to assume that it was just the curly hair or the blue eyes. Surely I was not similiar to the girl relentlessly mocked on a "Wayne's World" skit.

Almost 16 years have passed since I was 13 and I was last compared to the first daughter. Or so I thought....

Over the course of the past couple of weeks, I have had a small handful of people comment on how I resembled Chelsea. So, I would first like to thank Hillary for running for Prez and for bringing her daughter back into the spotlight. Maybe it's because self-deprecation is my default, but I thought I would post some pictures to compare.


Do Chelsea Clinton and I look alike?!?!?!?!

Happy Birthday Matthew!!!

It blows my mind that my little brother is 26 years old today. Where did the time go? My world was turned upside down on Feb. 5, 1982 when my mom and dad brought a little baby boy home. A lot of those first years were rocky. Actually, if I'm being truthful, the first 16 years or so of our sibling relationship was pretty strained. Occasionally Matthew would provoke me to anger or bite me (ahem) in the middle of the night. But, most of the time I was a jerk of a big sister to him. He has forgiven me and I like to think that my poor, selfish, bratty example kept him from making the same mistakes in his own life (:

Here are 26 reasons I love my brother
1. He loves Jesus and lives a life that truly honors him
2. He is funny
3. He knows when to keep his mouth shut. A lot of people think he's quiet but he's just smart.
4. He is a leader
5. He is a great runner...even though he doesn't really enjoy it
6. He is driven
7. He is wise with his money
8. He goes to Hillsong with me
9. He Turkey Trots with me every Thanksgiving
10. He loves my grandmothers and is patient with them
11. He will call me out when no one else will
12. I used to beat him up with a golf club and he still loves me
13. He knows how to wrap presents at Christmas time
14. He gives the best advice and often times it feels like he's the older sibling
15. He is loyal
16. He is slow to anger
17. He loves Cuba
18. He is honest
19. He will eat just about anything that you make for him
20. He is always up for listening to "Dosed"
21. He has great friends
22. He loves H-town
23. He is a servant
24. He is Marco's favorite uncle
25. He is one of my best friends
26. He has been the best brother these past 26 years!!!

I love you, Matthew!

hangin' tough

Let's go back to 1989. I was ten years old and madly in love with a special group of guys. Each was very talented and a few of them were good looking. Many were in love with Jordan and Joe, but I had eyes only for Jon. Maybe it was because no one else fancied him so I thought I had a chance. Ha!
But I digress...
I remember sneaking the NKOTB tapes into my boombox and secretly playing them in my room (only Christian music was allowed in our home). When my family moved in March of 1990, my friend Kerry Moore gave me a black T-shirt and a button with Jon's picture on it. Oh, how I loved that button.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I read this headline:

New Kids On The Block Stage Comeback

This is so exciting! Now, I don't really think that NKOTB will ever be able to match their popularity from almost 20 years ago (am I really that old?!??!?!). But, it will be fun to relive those carefree moments of my youth and maybe even dance around again to "The Right Stuff", "Step by Step", or "Hangin' Tough". Ah, those were the days... (:

Just call me Marian

All the signs were there.
-I have been reading since I was three or four years old.
-I was in the highest reading group in 1st grade with only one person, my best friend Susan. We called ourselves the "Strawberries".
-I would get giddy during book fair week.
-I would count down the days until the newest edition of "Babysitters Club" was released and then devour the book in a hour. Then, I would read it again.
-My favorite part of 8th grade was doing my first big research paper, complete with notecards.
-I loved going to the public library to do research and looking up archived articles on microfiche (I probably just lost half of my readers who have no idea what that is)
-I recently bought a new pair of glasses.

So, I have decided that I want to become a librarian. I have toyed with this idea for the past 4 years but am finally ready to do something about it. I am just not happy in the classroom anymore and want to work my way out of there. As a librarian, I can come in each day, make a list, check things off of it, and go home. No lesson planning. No grading. No discipline issues. NO PARENTS BREATHING DOWN MY NECK!!!!

I am starting to study for the GRE and am working on applying for the Masters of Library Science program at either the University of North Texas or TWU. That means that I hopefully only have two more years of teaching. Yea! I am not 100% positive that spending everyday with the Dewey Decimal System is my ultimate career, but I am a firm believer in moving. I realized back in college that the Lord does not always give us details, but rather he wants us to pursue something and do it for his glory.

get smarter and feed some peeps

I have decided to go to grad school, which deserves a post of its own. But before I can pursue that new goal, I must take the GRE. A teacher I work with just took the test a couple of months ago and passed on this website to me as a study tool: http://freerice.com/
This site gives you a vocabulary word with 4 choices. If you answer correctly, the site donates rice to a country in need. You can do as many words as you want and you might even learn some new words.